Thinking about a Ludwig Classic Maple

d0ublestr0ker0ll

I've been thinking about getting a classic maple from Ludwig.
I've heard they've been modified a bit since the 1960's when they were prominant. This will be my main kit. I play rock, fusion, jazz, blues and funk. Are these drums too deep, loud or resonant sounding for any of those types? Or are they versatile enough to be great for music from soft jazz to quick and loud fusion?

I live in a mid-class residential neighborhood. The drums will probably be 10x9, 12x10, 16x14, 14x6.5 snare and 22x16 bass drum. Is this thing super loud? Or does it just have a very deep sound? I don't want to piss my neighbors off. Thanks for your help peeps.

styles2281 · Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 8:49 am Post subject:

Isn't that what Peart played on in the late 80's Early 90's?

Sounds like it might be the right fit for you. Ludwig still makes a pretty good kit. I haven't had too much experience with upper level Ludwig kits though.
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d0ublestr0ker0ll · Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 11:23 am Post subject:

Same kit that Bonzo and Ringo used. And you bring to my attention my lack of attention towards Peart's kits. I have no idea what he's played besides his recent DW. My favorite kit that he used is the one when they released Hemispheres. Any idea what that was?

bytor · Admin Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 5248 Location: Kansas

Early on, Peart used a Slingerland kit. He then switched to Tama for a few years before switching again to Ludwig, which he played for a little over 15 years, I'd say. Around 1996, he switched to DW. I may be wrong, but I think the Hemispheres kit was a Tama. Someone correct me if you know different.

The Ludwig Classic Maples are outstanding drums, DSR. They do have a pretty deep, throaty sound to them, but they're very warm at the same time. I don't think they're any louder than any other maple kit, though. I played a five-piece classic maple all through high school, and it is still the best sounding kit I've ever played. Simply great drums.

d0ublestr0ker0ll · Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 2:53 pm Post subject:

random white person · Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 4:11 pm Post subject:

weve got a Classic Maple at school, and its pretty nice. theyre moderately resonant and definitely pretty warm, especially with coated heads. theyve got a good attack and punch even with no muffling and one-ply heads, so you dont need to go to any great lengths to keep them from singing incessantly. the bass drum on our kit is 18", and it definitely sounds bigger than it is. nice and punchy, with enough resonance to have a really big presence.

the only negative i can think of is the hardware. our kit has toms that mount on l-rods, but dont have suspension mounts. the tom holder itself is a bit clunky, and you have to use a wrench to adjust it as opposed to a drumkey or thumbscrews. the tom holder also penetrates into the bass drum, and the tubing extends almost all the way to the bottom of the drum. granted this kit is at least 8 years old and you probably wont be mounting toms on the bass drum, but i couldnt say if Ludwig has upgraded their hardware recently... if youre a stickler for details, it might be something to look into.
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bytor · Admin Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 5248 Location: Kansas

The lower end Ludwigs are really nothing special. In fact, I'd buy another brand if I was wanting a low to intermediate level kit. The good stuff though... Ludwig is really tough to beat.

RWP makes a good point. The hardware wasn't so spectacular on that kit we had back in high school, but that kit would be close to 20 years old by now. I'm sure Ludwig's hardware is better than it used to be.

Look at this one. Just beautiful:

It would be awesome in Ludwig's mahogany stain finish (far left):

I'd take any one of those stain finishes, though. Ideally, I would prefer that the toms weren't mounted on the bass drum, but I'm not sure if that's an option. For a kit at this level, though, Ludwig would probably work with their customers a bit. It wouldn't surprise me if you could special order a kit without a bass drum tom mount if that's an issue for you.